Repairs Get Amtrak Sidetracked

Delays In And Out Of S. Florida Adding To Railroad's Woes

First, the passenger railroad was going to cut train trips between Miami and New York.

Instead, it cut 71 union employees in Miami and some first-class dining and sleeping services on the route to New York.

And now some of Amtrak's trains are leaving and arriving late in South Florida because of repair work on tracks in the central and northern parts of the state.

"Unfortunately, this just all happened at the same time," Amtrak spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said.

He said Amtrak started alerting South Florida passengers earlier this month about potential delays, including calling those with reservations. The delays, which are unpredictable and can last at least an hour, are expected to continue through March, he said.

The delays are being caused by repairs on tracks in the Westlake, Auburndale, Lakeland and Sanford areas, which are owned and maintained by CSX Transportation Corp. of Jacksonville.

Some Amtrak passengers, such as those traveling between Palatka and Kissimmee, may have to take a bus because of the repair work. That disrupts travel to Disney World in Orlando.

"They will get to their destination, but it just might take a little longer," Taubenkibel said.

Last year, 815,786 passengers - nearly 4 percent of all Amtrak travelers nationwide - took the daily Silver Star or Silver Meteor between Miami and New York via Jacksonville. Stops include Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach.

Amtrak's Silver Star and Silver Meteor trains run on the state's Tri-Rail corridor just west of Interstate 95, extending from West Palm Beach to Miami before jogging southwest to Homestead. The state bought the 81-mile right-of-way from from CSX six years ago to ensure a corridor for mass transit.

CSX spokeswoman Kathy Burns said the freight company was doing no major work in Miami that would cause delays for Amtrak passengers.

Last year, Amtrak lost $76.2 million, forcing the federally subsidized railroad to cut train trips and employees across the country. Instead of reducing trips between Miami and New York, it eliminated the Palmetto route between Tampa and New York.